Merillat - kitchen organization

The U-Shape Kitchen, also called a
‘Horseshoe,’ is perfect for those who enjoy dining-in. It offers a lot of
counter and storage space for preparation and cooking. This design utilizes
three walls for kitchen space, and should have 10ft between walls before it’s a
feasible option. At the right kitchen size, it can be a very efficient design
to have when multiple people are cooking in a kitchen at once.

The
U-Shape design is also a great design for creating an organized work triangle.
Aside from thinking about overall kitchen size, there is an amount of
consideration that needs to be taken when deciding the location of appliances
and cabinets. If drawers and doors are too close together at the corners, the
doors will collide when opened. A solution to this would be corner cabinets,
Lazy Susans, or corner
drawers.

Because the
U-Shape is so enclosed, increasing the size or number of windows can allow more
light. This will not only make your kitchen more vibrant, and provide better
airflow; but it’ll maximize the appearance of space.

Smaller kitchens can also
benefit from more counter space by using an L-Shape design. The L-Shape works
well with your entire home design, by opening up your kitchen and preventing
high traffic through the kitchen.

With the increase in great rooms and loft-style living,
L-Shaped Kitchens have become quite popular. It is the ideal layout for mingling,
because it eliminates that extra wall of cabinets you’d see in a U-Shape. If
you have an L-Shape Kitchen adjacent to a family room or patio, it can be very beneficial
to have an island, so the cooks aren’t constantly facing away from activity in
other rooms.

L-Shape is great for opening up to other rooms, however there
are other reasons this shape could be the right choice for you. Patio doors or
large windows across an empty wall can bring in substantial amounts of light to
brighten up your kitchen.

A
Galley is characterized by two parallel walls, or two counter-tops opposite of each
other with a walkway in between them. Often referred to as the ‘lean’
layout, it’s great for efficiency. It’s great for making use of small, cramped
spaces.

"
From a
functionality perspective, most kitchens in restaurants are galley
kitchens,"
says Duncan Firth, chef de cuisine at Barona Resort &
Casino in San Diego.
"For a chef, it
works great. Everybody's lined up close together. Plates are on one side, pans
on the other."

Unlike the L and U-Shape kitchens, it limits the ability to
interact with others, inside or outside of the kitchen. It also eliminates the
possibility of having a kitchen table or island. Alternatively, to solve this
issue, one could possibly tear down one of the walls, opening it up to the next
room with either an island, bar, or kitchen nook.

The
One-Wall Kitchen, which is often the smallest of all of the kitchen layouts, is
typically found in studio apartments or small homes. This layout is a single
wall with all cabinetry, drawers, sinks, and appliances on a single wall.

In
a One-Wall design, the sink usually sits between the stove and refrigerator to
aid easy clean-up. Overhead cabinets are a must across the length of the wall;
as well as a built-in microwave system to clear-up countertop space.

A
dining room table, or a kitchen island can sometimes be added to improve the
amount of available workspace if needed. It’s also possible to add a
Peninsula
to a One-Wall layout. This design, a one-wall with an island or peninsula, has
become quite popular in modern homes; even homes that aren’t small at all.
Homes with an open floor plan often use this style to maintain the openness of
the living space.

`Deciding what layout works best for you,
would highly depend on the layout of your home. However, these are a few
elements to consider when knocking down a wall, closing up a kitchen, or
working with an already designed kitchen space.

If you were asked to describe the kitchen of your dreams, you probably
wouldn’t use the word “small.” However, small kitchens have many advantages,
and have just as much, if not more, opportunity for an upgrade. It’s all about
use of space, and maximizing the space you have. You can make your kitchen look
bigger with these small kitchen [...]